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OfficeMax wants tax breaks to stay in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — OfficeMax Inc. is asking the state of Illinois for tax breaks to keep the company's headquarters in-state after the office supply chain's merger with Office Depot Inc. is complete.

OfficeMax CEO Ravi Saligram and state Sen. Tom Cullerton made their pitch Tuesday during a hearing on the state's pension crisis. Cullerton is a Villa Park Democrat sponsoring legislation to provide incentives if the company keeps at least 2,000 full-time jobs at its headquarters and other non-retail locations.

Naperville-based OfficeMax and Boca Raton, Fla.-based Office Depot announced plans to merge in February. The companies are trying to decide where to locate their combined headquarters.

Gov. Pat Quinn signed similar legislation in 2011 that gave Sears and other companies more than $100 million in subsidies when they threatened to leave the state.